Marian Robinson

Obama Presidential Center Honoree

Marian Robinson

Space Name: Opening the White House, in honor of Marian Robinson | Museum | Level 4 

Marian Robinson was Michelle Obama's mother. When President Obama was elected, Robinson moved to Washington, D.C. with the family, where her support and steady presence made the White House a home. Robinson believed that with a little grace, the world’s roughest edges could be sanded down, and she showed love and compassion to everyone around her. Her welcoming, grounded spirit reminded people that they mattered—and her lessons guide Mrs. Obama to this day.

With gratitude to Mark Gallogly and Lise Strickler, Three Cairns Group

“ We are proud to honor Marian Robinson’s legacy through the “Opening the White House” exhibition. Mrs. Robinson showed that nurturing others is a powerful form of leadership and that any space, importantly the White House, can become a place of belonging. She believed in opening doors and pulling up chairs, making room for others not with fanfare, but with love, humility, and grace. Our hope is that this room carries that same spirit of welcome for all who enter.”

–Mark Gallogly and Lise Strickler

Legacy on Campus

  • The People’s House

    Take an intimate look at the First Family's years in the White House. Learn how the White House was transformed into a vibrant home made for everyone including Opening the White House, an exhibit named in honor of Marian Robinson. 

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  • Obama Presidency Oral History: Marian Robinson

    Learn about the Obama Presidency through the eyes of Marian Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama, in an oral history initiative done by Columbia University.

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The Barack Obama Foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 46-4950751).

John Lewis

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Through the honoree naming initiative at the Obama Presidential Center, we are partnering with our donors to celebrate a part of the history in which the Obama story is so deeply rooted by associating a named space with a hero, moment, or person "on whose shoulders we stand"—an honoree who made the Obamas’ story possible.

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